Drinking Fountain, Castle Gardens, Castle Street, Lisburn, Co. Antrim

Drinking Fountain in Castle Gardens

A free-standing decorative cast-iron drinking fountain dating from 1872, one of five identical fountains presented to Lisburn by Sir Richard Wallace in 1876. Designed by sculptor Charles-Auguste Lebourg from initial sketches by Wallace, the fountain stands approximately 3 metres tall within Castle Gardens near the centre of Lisburn.

The fountain comprises a tall octagonal pedestal with four upturned console brackets, resting on an iron projecting base. The pedestal supports four caryatids with Ionic capitals, which with their arms support an octagonal entablature topped by a decorative dome embellished with fish-scales and a dolphin pinnacle. The water-spout is positioned at the centre but no longer functions. Each caryatid represents kindness, simplicity, charity and sobriety, distinguished by variations in pose and robes. The fountain is cast by Val d'Osne Chateau le Bourg foundry and bears their mark.

Wallace designed these fountains following the 1870 Franco-Prussian War when Paris faced severe water shortages. Having inherited a large fortune after his father's death in 1870, Wallace remained in Paris during the Prussian siege and used his wealth to benefit the city, founding a hospital and establishing military ambulances and relief supplies. After commissioning 50 fountains, Paris itself cast a further 30, and the design was subsequently marketed worldwide. The "large" type fountains given to Lisburn were inspired by the Fontaine des Innocents in Paris.

Five identical fountains were presented to Lisburn following Wallace's visit to the town in 1873. They were originally sited at the junction of Market Place and Bow Street, Market Square, Castle Gardens, the junction of Seymour Street Low Road and Millbrook, and along the main walk of Wallace Park. Three fountains were lost to scrap metal collection during the Second World War. The fountain in Castle Gardens, first documented on the 1900-02 town plan, remains in situ alongside another in Market Square.

Originally water spouted from the cupola supported by the caryatids into a basin with a cup on a chain, but these cups were later removed due to public health concerns. The fountain was painted blue in 1969, unlike the Parisian examples which are painted dark green to blend with park vegetation. These fountains gained such renown that "Wallace" became a word in the French language. Examples exist in Rotterdam, Montreal, Barcelona, Lisbon, Ilfracombe, Canada, Mozambique, Brazil, Jordan, South Africa and other locations worldwide, many now removed from their original sites. The sculptor Lebourg, born in Nantes in 1829 and a pupil of Rude, died in Paris in 1906. His marble busts of Lord Hertford and Lady Wallace are displayed in the Wallace Collection, London.

The fountain contributes to a notable collection of monuments within Castle Gardens that enhance the amenity value of this open space and public park.